Pinch & a Punch for the first of the month (and no returns)
Daily Run 237nm
DTT 186nm
Lunch Avocado & Chorizo Couscous with Tomato and Onion
Dinner Red Thai Prawn Curry with Sweet Potato and Mango
So today seems to be the day of change - apt as it's the 1st of December perhaps. Firstly the sea has actually calmed down a bit, just a bit. Don't be fooled, it is still fairly bumpy but much better than it has been, making sleeping easy now. There is a real sense of high amongst the crew with the slightly more comfortable sea state. Showers all round, shaving for the men and a sweet smelling crew. Not our first shower I might quickly add!!
The next surprise of the day, was the sighting of 2 Whales on our Starboard beam. At about 1500hrs a cry of Whale from Flemming and the whole crew stood to attention and those below darted on deck. Indeed we could clearly see 2 Whales - Pilot Whales I think based on their size. The familiar sight of the blow hole and shot of fine spray into the air, and then far more spectacular was seeing their silouhette as they rose up into the wave with the sun shining through the wave. A wonderful sight and as always I, together with the crew were left feeling very priveledged to have seen them in their natural environment.
Having spent 450euro on some re-inforcement work in Malta and then another 700euro on some more in Las Palmas I have been slowly watching poor workmanship looking a little fragile on the no2 genoa. I guess the morale of the story is that I should watch the sailmaker do the work and check it throroughly but being late into Las Palmas due to bad weather in the Med left little time for this and after all when you pay professionals you expect quality work right? I'll not get started on this subject of 'professional' tradesman who charge £50 per hour plus or I'll sound like Uncle Albert on his soapbox..........
So, having watched some minor damage on the sail spread over the last 2 days, we made the call to take it down at 1700 to prevent it from getting worse and be able to repair the damage by sticking sail repair tape to the affected areas and then stitching through the tape - "something that would have been good for the £50 per hour 'professional sailmaker' to do" - no stop Uncle Albert. Looking at the forecast, the wind should move forward on us over the next 48 hours, so it had been in my mind to take down the pole and 2 sail reach at about 240 degrees anyway in order to get a little further South and be able to bear away if needed when the wind goes SW.
So we furled away the genoas, ran new sheets and unfurled again, then dropped them both on the deck. Tim, Adolfo and Dietmar, together with myself pulled the sails down and separated them on the deck. Once done, we folded the no2 and tied it on the coachroof ready for repair when we get the chance, then re-hoisted the no4. Tom, Matt, Flemming, Howard and Eckhardt operated the aft cockpit and pole controls, while Gerrit's steady hand on the wheel kept Northern Child safely downwind. The whole operation took about 40 minutes and once we were set again, we shook the reef out of the mainsail and were once again sailing along at 8-9 knots.
Today was the first day of 'dinner without Lucy's magic' - ie something she pre prepared for us. However, knowing the Mangos were fully ripe and wanting to catch them at their best, I decided tonight was Red Thai Prawn Curry with Sweet Potato and Mango. Of course I was following Lucy's magic black boat cook book that she has been writing and perfecting for 4 years now. We were without Sweet Potato and Fish Sauce, but had all the other ingredients and made some educated decisions and took some calculated risks with other ingredients. Howard was a fantastic Sou Chef for me, chopping, preparing and reading the instructions. Together, bit by bit, we created (not cooked), but created a mouth wateringly sumptuos Red Thai Curry. Rice done, curry served and it went down a storm with the crew. For the first time ever, I felt the elation of cooking something that people genuninely raved about and loved, thanks to the teamwork with Howard and Lucy's little black cook book!
Todays crew profile is Matt. Matt works in London in the Lloyd's Insurance Industry and is making the most of being on gardening leave to do the ARC and spend a little time in the Caribbean afterwards. Matt has done a fair bit of sailing but most of it out of Lymington with a few voyages to the Channel Islands being his longest passages to date. He's wanted to do the ARC after hearing about it from a good friend of his and so this was a perfect time to tick the box given that he had the time off.
As I finish this log, we are sailing along on a beam-broad reach at a steady 8-9 knots still on our course of 240. The conditions remain challenging and as yet 5 days in we have not seen the illusive ARC conditions in the brochure (something that the crew continually have fun reminding me about). The forecast I have is showing that as we sail WSW the wind should go forward and gradually drop, to the point that we have about 10 knots from the South by the 6th. This will certainly be a welcome repsite as it is tough going, but in the true British way, we will dig in, keep smiling and carry on regardless.
Till tomorrow
Christian, Tim and crew